Postoperative outcomes in distal pancreatectomy: A single-center experience

Abstract

Abstract Context: With the development of new advanced diagnostic modalities, distal pancreatectomy is nowadays performed more frequently. Pancreatic surgeries are considered overall highly morbid, with fistula development being the most serious and feared complication. Aim: This study aims to review a tertiary care center’s experience with distal pancreatectomy and to define the outcomes and mortality associated with this procedure. Subjects and Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted among 18 patients who underwent distal pancreatectomy in the time between 2012 and 2022, at King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Results: Of a total of 18 patients, 44.44% were above the age of 50, and 77.77% were females. Indications related to the procedure include: 38.88% were pancreatic tumors and 38.88% were cystic neoplasms. About 94.44% of patients had their procedure combined with splenectomy, and 50% of them underwent multivisceral resection. There was no reported mortality within the 30 days postoperatively. The most frequent complication was pancreatic fistula, which occurred in 16.66% of the patients. Conclusions: One of the limitations of our study is the small sample size, which restricts a strong conclusion. However, in our center’s humble experience, there were no mortalities among the patients undergoing distal pancreatectomy, although it was associated with some morbidity.